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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26144485">take a bite of the apple</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadetDru/pseuds/CadetDru'>CadetDru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Statement of the Serpent and the Sword [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman &amp; Terry Pratchett, The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Leitner Books (The Magnus Archives), Statement Begins - Freeform, Statement Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:08:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26144485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CadetDru/pseuds/CadetDru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Statement of Jonathan Sims, regarding the book titled The Apple. Statement recorded direct from subject, 25th April 2016.</p><p>Statement Begins </p><p>I read the book that Ezra Fell told me not to: The Apple, from the library of Jurgen Leitner. We've had it here for a month now, which I think showed a sufficient amount of willpower resisting such an obvious temptation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aziraphale &amp; Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens) &amp; Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Statement of the Serpent and the Sword [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897384</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>take a bite of the apple</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Statement of Jonathan Sims, regarding the book titled The Apple. Statement recorded direct from subject, 25th April 2016.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Statement Begins </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I read the book that Ezra Fell told me not to: The Apple, from the library of Jurgen Leitner. We've had it here for a month now, which I think showed a sufficient amount of willpower resisting such an obvious temptation.   I don’t think it made me crave knowledge. It’s just a book, and not a very interesting one. I’d like to think that I already know the difference between good and evil. It’s a spectrum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fell planted the idea in my head, that’s all. His holier than thou attitude, trying to be good and make everyone else seem evil. Now I’m trying to sort actions, objects, people into good or evil. Fell and Crowley are easy enough to address.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crowley isn’t evil but he wants to be. He’s too obvious to be threatening.  Crowley wears snakeskin and telegraphs his desire to swallow you whole.    If I were a much older man, old enough for Anthony J. Crowley, I could be tempted… Well, that’s just it.  There’s no defined goal, just a general sense of somehow transgressing.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fell is meant to be good, instead of a fussy man asking if we’ve seen a flaming sword. I haven’t, not that it means anything. We could very well have a flaming sword somewhere down in storage. There is so much here that I don’t know anything about.  I just want to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t want him to come back.  It’s just as well that he offered Martin as an intermediary, as if that’s any better. Martin is an archival assistant, not an errand boy for some Regency era holdover.  I will not allow him to be poached like this. He belongs to…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Martin is a good employee, with glaring blind spots that I try to help him correct. I honestly think moving into the archives has helped him. That or he’s just more obviously underfoot now.  He’s a good man.  Mostly good.  Or obfuscating evil at a level I cannot even comprehend.  He belongs to the Institute, not Fell.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tim has offered to be the intermediary with Crowley should the need arise. I have no problem talking to Crowley, but that’s obvious enough.  I think this is more wishful thinking on Tim’s part, but I can’t blame him for trying. The general temptation looms.  Crowley is a serpentine equivalent of a bottle labelled “drink me.” It’s easy enough to resist if you weren’t already thirsty.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t want people, I just want to know things.  Crowley said he could tempt me with books. He wasn’t wrong.  I could call him, see what he could find me, what he could sneak away from Fell’s shop without Fell ever knowing, without Fell involving Martin in it. What price would Crowley want, or would he be satisfied with the simple joy of sneaking around behind Fell’s back? Evil can be its own reward, can’t it? The Apple tastes sweet, and that's all that matters is that perfect first bite. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is another statement that I will want to burn yet won’t.  Apparently this tape is sacred to me, if nothing else.  That’s a depressing thought. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Statement Ends</span>
</p>
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